Two Officers, One Suspect Shot at Congressional and Pebble Beach

Corpus Christi police responded to the scene of an officer-involved shooting at Congressional and Pebble Beach just after noon Thursday in which two officers were shot by a suspect who tried to escape in a police unit.

Author:
Jonathan Munson

Published:
4:27 PM CDT March 20, 2014

Updated:
4:27 PM CDT March 20, 2014

Corpus Christi police responded to the scene of an officer-involved shooting at Congressional and Pebble Beach just after noon Thursday in which two officers were shot by a burglary suspect who tried to escape in a police unit.

Kiii News Anchor Rudy Trevino was the first on the scene and went Live from where it all happened with the details.

According to Corpus Christi Police Chief Floyd Simpson, officers received reports of a suspicious person acting erratically in the area. When an officer arrived at that location, he called for back up. The suspect opened fire on the officers, hitting both of them in the legs and one of them in the neck and shoulder area. The police officers returned fire and shot the suspect in the chest.

The suspect then jumped into a police Tahoe and tried to escape, but struck a pole in the process. Officers approached the vehicle and apprehended the suspect.

The officers who were shot were identified as Senior Officer Michael Goodman and Senior Officer Amador Gonzalez. According to Chief Simpson, both officers sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The suspect, however, was stabilized at the scene and transported to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. Police Chief Floyd Simpson said he is expected to live.

For residents of that neighborhood, the shooting came as a surprise and shock. Most who lived near the crime scene were not home at the time and instead were at work or out running errands during the lunch hour; however, some had surveillance cameras and think they may have caught the shooting on tape.

Kiii News Reporter Michael Gibson spoke to neighbors there and went Live from that neighborhood with more information.

"Usually things don't happen like this over here, but we have cameras, and as soon as we get the person who runs our cameras over here, we're going to go ahead and look at it and see if maybe there's something we can see," Breana Garcia said.

Garcia and her husband, Joseph, said they have lived near Congressional and Pebble Beach for a couple of years. The only people they usually see outside are those who are out walking their dog or getting some exercise. It's a quiet, uneventful neighborhood.

Tristan Gober lives across the way from the Garcias, and he said he didn't hear a thing. However, he said he's not too surprised, in this day and age, what people will do.

"It's real troubling to have this type of activity in the neighborhood, but you know, people are desperate," Gober said. "Times are tough, and people will do anything they can to make money or get money, or just to stay alive."

Gober also said he wanted to pass along his prayers for the wounded officers and their families.

At last report, those officers did not sustain serious injuries. In fact, Officer Amador Gonzalez was discharged from the hospital later in the evening.

One of those officers, Senior Officer Gonzalez, was involved in a shooting that resulted in the death of one person back in December of 2012. The victim had barricaded himself inside of his home on Salem Drive, and told police that he was armed. The CCPD SWAT team was called in and officers ended up shooting and killing the suspect after they say he fired at them as they approached his house.

Gonzalez was put on restrictive duty immediately after, which is normal procedure in cases of that nature.

According to Police Chief Floyd Simpson, both officers were in good spirits and their families were notified. During the incident, Gonzalez helped Goodman with a tourniquet and some quick thinking. He also put a tourniquet on himself.

Paramedics told police that, by the time they arrived at the scene, the bleeding had stopped.

Kiii News Reporter Brian Burns went Live from Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital with an update on the officers' condition.